Life's Like This
by Strawberry Raindrops
Summary: DISCONTINUED. AU. InoSasuSaku. Sakura and Ino thought that their friendship was unbreakable. They were proved wrong when Sasuke Uchiha stepped into the two girls' lives and overturned their perfect world and friendship.
1. fireworks

**Dis****claimer: **I just own your mommm. Oh, _burn. _-shotkill'd-

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"You always get called forehead girl and get picked on, huh?"

"Who–who are you?"

"I'm Ino Yamanaka. What about you?"

"I'm... Sakura..."

"Eh? I can't hear you. Speak up!"

"_Sa-Sakura Haruno__!_"

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**Life's Like This**

by Strawberry Raindrops

Chapter One: Fireworks

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The first time I met Sakura Haruno is still a vivid memory even though it was a gazillion years ago (okay it was just eight years ago but what, gazillion and eight – same thing). She had her knees pulled up to her face and it was clear that she was crying by the way her shoulders were lightly shaking. I had only seen this girl from afar back then and I had heard other kids exchange gossip about her – "she's the _forehead girl_" "her forehead's _huge_" "she's always crying! Ha, what a _loser_" – but other than that, I had never really talked to her before.

So I decided to walk up to her and make friends with her, and help boost up some of her confidence since obviously, this girl seemed very much so vulnerable like she could break at the slightest tease. I guess I wasn't really thinking much back then. All I knew was that she was crying and I was there, and I just felt the need to help her which was strange since I was never really the helping type.

But I was glad I did. The moment I saw her lift her head up slightly from her arms and stare at me with her large jade eyes, something in me kind of gave off sparks and I guess from the back of my mind I kind of already knew that this girl would play a huge role in my life – and she would be the closest person I could ever meet.

And it was true.

Our friendship at first was kind of weird to the eyes of other people since I was known to be pretty loud and outspoken and confident and here I was, befriending a girl who was shy, quiet, and so fragile. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, I began to see her progress. Ever since I had given her that ribbon to pull her hair up, she had slowly begun to become more confident. Her smile seemed to get wider and more genuine and sincere every day and her eyes gleamed with hope and confidence. She started to talk louder and _more_ and she began to associate with other kids more.

She seemed happier.

And I was glad for this strengthened our friendship as she realized what I had done for her. We began to hang out a lot and laugh about stupid things and share secrets.

We were the closest of friends but we never told this to each other. Those kind of things were already stitched into our hearts. We already knew what we were to each other. We didn't need reminding. Our smiles and laughter already screamed our friendship out to the world and people didn't need to ask us for confirmation. They already knew. We already knew. And that was all that mattered.

I thought that our bond was strong and unbreakable.

I thought that nothing and no one could break and cut through it.

But I was wrong.

**- & -**

"I wonder who has the locker beneath yours this year," Sakura muses as an amused smile adorns her lips. She then glances at me and we exchange goofy smiles for a moment before we burst into a fit of giggles.

The reason we are laughing is because every year ever since seventh grade – the first year of middle school and lockers – I have been blessed with a top locker. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly the neatest person – okay, _really, _my locker is always messier than ten jocks' lockers _combined. _It would always turn into a jungle by the end of the first week of school!

And so because of that, things always seem to fall out of my crammed locker and drop onto whoever is unlucky enough to have the locker beneath mine. Sometimes, if he or she is lucky, it would only be a piece of paper. Other times, if he or she isn't so lucky, it would be the gigantic math textbook.

Yeah, I'm not so good at keeping things neat and tidy.

"Hopefully some jackass," I say, "then I wouldn't feel so guilty."

Sakura roll her eyes and smile at me.

"Honestly, Ino. I have to teach you how to _not _mess up things. Your locker is always messier than the _guys_ and that's definitely saying something."

I merely shrug as I play with the lock on my new locker. "I think you'll have to. I heard that once in this high school, the teachers check your lockers and they _grade _you on how neat your locker is. If that rumor is true, I'm toast."

I then look around me and see the crowded hallways filled with anxious, excited freshmen as they chatter with one another and compare schedules. The atmosphere is light and casual but I can sense a slight tension in the air for after all, it's _high school _we are talking about – where our grades actually begin to matter, where the teachers throw a month's load of homework at you and expect you to finish it in one night, and where drama is chaos.

"Well, I better get going," Sakura says as she turns to me and sigh. "I wish we both had the same first periods. I'm a nervous wreck right now. I need someone by my side at least during the first period!"

I pat her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. Everything will be _fine._ Besides, you have Naruto."

She gives me a sarcastic look and I grin innocently back.

These are the differences between Sakura and me. She is the neat, tidy and clean type and the one who sweats over the petty things (especially about school work). I am the messier, laid-back type and I really can't care less about anything. I think it's because I'm slowly becoming more and more influenced by Shikamaru, a lazy yet genius friend whom I've also known practically my whole life (he's so lazy and smart that he actually had the option to go up a few grades but he declined the offer, saying that it was 'too troublesome').

Of course, I'm still pretty fussy over little things – just not the same things. Like my weight and how I look, for one. I'm pretty self-conscious and at the slightest hint of fat, I would begin exercising like crazy and at the smallest pimple, I would begin washing my face a million times a day.

Yeah, I have my psychotic moments too.

"Well off you go," I say as I make a little hand wave motion that signals her to go along her way, mockingly.

She rolls her eyes playfully at me again as she waves and disappears into the crowd of people.

I then turn back to my locker and open it as I shrug off my backpack and push it into my locker as I zip it open and take out my notebook and pencil case.

Just as I do so, out of the corner of my eye, I see someone crouch down below and open the locker beneath mine. I quickly turn to see who it is and see a boy around my age shrugging off his backpack and pushing it into his locker. He has dark raven hair and pale alabaster skin and a good build with broad shoulders. I can't see his face properly for he's looking the other way but even from the side, he looks _handsome. _

The boy then closes his locker and suddenly stands up, books in hand, as he walks past me as if I'm not even there but I hardly even notice for I caught a glimpse of his face.

And _oh my God, _he puts _celebrities to shame, _period.

I never really believed in love at first sight. I always thought that those things only happened in movies and soap operas since it seemed so stupid and naïve. I always thought, _who could fall in love with someone they just __**saw**__? _And when people said that they believed in love at first sight, I would immediately judge them and inwardly roll my eyes at them. I wasn't sure how you could just look at someone for the first time and think, _Yes. You're the one – the one just for me. _

But just for a millisecond, when I saw him pass by me, I felt like something in me was sending off fireworks and I felt like my stomach was doing somersaults. It was only a glimpse of his face I caught but a glimpse was all I needed for my face to burn up and my mouth to hang open slightly and stupidly.

And just for a moment there, I thought that maybe – _just __**maybe **__– _there _was _such thing as love at first sight.

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**A/N: **Ohmygod, the last thing I need right now is _another_ chapter story I have to worry about updating and yet, here I am, submitting this. Sigh, I'm hopeless.

Btw, this fic is sorta based on the song "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne. You won't be able to sense it in the first few chapters, but as the story progresses, you'll definitely be able to see it. Sooo, props to that!

Oh and my first chapters are always short. Get used to it.  
...Okay, fine, my chapters always seem to be pretty short, _but _my first chapters are always short_er_!

Review please? They'll be used to boost Ino's stupidity to a smarter level!


	2. chemistry

**A/N: **I UPDATED SOSO_SO _QUICKLY. Aren't you proud of me, Mommy?

So a lot of you were like "_Make it SASUSAKU not SASUINO!" _and I think I have to set a few things straight before I continue on with the story.

For the time being, I'm _not _going to tell you the final pairing. I'm going to give SasuSaku some of their moments and SasuIno some of their moments too but the final pairing is a secret. Hell, I might not even _put in _a final pairing for this story so please, don't tell me what pairing it should be and don't ask me what pairing I'm going to use in the end because guess what, _I'm not going to tell you! _

I still hope you keep reading though. XD And please, no flames to either pairing. I really don't want things like "Ew SasuIno sucks!" on my review page, thanks.

Other than that, thank you for the kind reviews! :) Reviews get me motivated, ahem_ahem. _;) XD

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Chapter Two: Chemistry

"_Please _tell me why we're watching this movie again," I groan as I reach out for the popcorn and jam some more of the buttery goodness into my mouth as I roll my eyes at the screen where apparently the two main characters – I still haven't bothered to memorize their names – are having an intimate scene of kissing.

"It's romantic!" Sakura protests as she throws a pillow at me which hits me smack across the face, making my hair all static-y. Thanks Sakura.

"Besides," she says, "they have great chemistry."

_Chemistry. _They're just _characters! _But I don't say it out loud. Instead, I wonder if Sasuke (I have later found out that the boy's – the one who has the locker beneath mine – name is Sasuke Uchiha and he's in _five _out of eight of my periods. That's a _lot. _Can I get a _booyah?_) and I have great chemistry. I don't know because I've never really talked to him... _yet. _

I grumble some more as I then take out a chocolate bar and unwrap it as I bite into it and chew thoughtfully.

Sakura takes a handful of popcorn and begins eating it too. Even still though, while I'm pigging out on loads of candy, soda, and popcorn, she just continues to eat a little bit of popcorn since she never eats too much because she just doesn't like to eat, frankly. Perhaps that's why she's so effortlessly skinny. Of course, I'm fairly skinny too but I have to _work for it _since I tend to pig out, especially at sleepovers. My name doesn't help any of it either.

"It's horrible, that's what it is," I say and I pretend to gag. "Romance movies suck."

Sakura turns to me and rolls her eyes. "You're just jealous of the characters in the movie 'cause they're in love and you don't have a _boyfriend._"

I scoff. "_Boyfriend? _Who needs a boyfriend when there's _chocolate?_" I wave the half-eaten chocolate bar in front of her face and she swats it away like a fly.

But as I continue to watch the two characters gaze at each other affectionately and speak words of gushy love, I can't help but think, _what if that was Sasuke and me?_ And I can't help but imagine him being the male character there, and me being the female character there as he tells me 'how much he loves me but our parents don't approve of our love.' But for some reason, I can't imagine Sasuke being like that so I quit thinking about it.

I know that what I feel for Sasuke is merely physical attraction. I'm not dumb. I know that what I feel for him is what I'd feel for a hot celebrity I'd see on TV. The only reason my heart beats so fast whenever he passes by me is because he's so _hot_ and his mysterious attitude and behavior just adds onto it. I have later discovered that he is the quiet and stoic type. He doesn't say much and when people bother him, he either ignores them or acts cold towards them.

Some people hate him because they think he's stuck-up (these are mostly the guys and the girls who already have boyfriends they love too much to care about Sasuke), other people (like me) admire him because he seems like a fairly interesting person and we want to know more about him.

I turn to Sakura and vaguely wonder if she even knows he exists. Neither of us have ever really discussed with each other things like that – which guy is hot, and such. We never really talk about who we like because frankly, I have never had much of a crush over the past few years and really, neither did she. It's sad, but true because most guys here are either jerks or losers and I frankly don't think I have to stoop as low as them (no offense, jerks and losers).

I actually think that even if she knew about Sasuke, she wouldn't care so much. Sakura has never been the type who went googoo gaga over a boy. She was always more so concentrated on her studies and grades and friends. The only boys she ever showed affection towards were celebrities (and she has posters of them on her walls) and her male friends, in a totally platonic way, of course.

Even still though, even though Sakura has never showed much interest in wanting a boyfriend, she has always shown much interest in romantic stuff like _The Notebook _and _Twilight. _

I, on the other hand, never really liked reading, period. And as for movies, I like comedy ones only.

So I try my best to pretend and enjoy the movie because after all, at least I'm with my best friend and even cheesy romance movies are better when watching it with your best friend.

**- & -**

_**Briiiiing! Briiiiiiing!**_

I breathe out a sigh of relief as I place down my pen. _**Finally**__, class is over._

" – and, oh well, that's the bell. I guess that's all for class now. Homework is to finish up the reading we started in class today and answer _all _the questions at the end. Class dismissed," Kurenai says as she closes her teacher's edition and takes off her glasses.

I get up as I gather my books and hurry out the door as I weave through the sea of people as chatter and laughter and shouts fill the hallways.

I suddenly feel a pat on my back and turn to see Naruto as he grins his trademark smile at me. "Hey Ino! Are you going to the library after school today? Sakura-chan said that she is and I'm going to drag Shikamaru down too no matter how many times he says that it's 'too troublesome' since as much of a lazy ass he is, he sure knows how to help out on homework."

I chuckle as I nod. "Yeah, I have some Chemistry homework that I really need help with so I'm there."

He beams at me and nods as I turn back around and make my way to my locker.

It's only the second week of school and yet, I'm already exhausted. The teachers bombard us with so much homework, it's really tiring but expected. It's enough to make me wonder if I can even graduate from high school.

As I sigh and open my locker, suddenly, my literature workbook falls out and lands smack _Sasuke's head._ Before I can react though, an empty paper coffee cup comes tumbling down and drops onto the literature workbook and rolls down and falls onto the floor.

I gasp a little as I bend down but he already took the workbook and coffee cup and hands it to me. "Er, I'm – I'm sorry, are you okay?" I stammer as I take the workbook and coffee cup and peer over at him. _It shouldn't have hurt that much. It's only a workbook and the cover's really bendy. _

He seems okay as he turns to me and raises an eyebrow – which I try my hardest not to blush at – and nods curtly before turning back to his locker.

I bite my lower lip as I continue to fiddle with the workbook and cup before clearing my throat and asking, "Uh.. so, you're Sasuke, aren't you?"

He pulls out his backpack and closes his locker as he stands up and turns to me. He nods at me in the same manner as before and before he can turn to leave, I shoot him another question, "Do you know my name?"

"Ino," he answers, "right?"

I nod feverishly. "That's right. I'm in some of your classes," I say stupidly.

"I know."

That makes me feel really dumb.

"It's hard to miss you," he says, smirking slightly. "You're always talking."

I'm not sure if he means that as a compliment or an insult so I just smile awkwardly at him. "Well... you're always quiet."

"Hn," he says and I'm not too sure what that's supposed to mean.

His eyes then drop to the coffee cup in my hands and then back at me. "It's not good to drink too much coffee..."

I look at my cup, then back at him as I shrug. "Oh, I don't drink _that _much... just a little." That's a lie. I drink a lot of coffee but only to prevent myself from falling asleep in boring ol' classes and besides, cappuccinos taste good, but that's just a plus.

"Yeah, that's the reason you have about a gazillion other coffee cups in your locker," he says dryly as he jerks a thumb towards my locker.

I turn to my locker and see about a ten empty coffee cups littering my locker and I blush feverishly.

"W-well, that still isn't that much," I mumble and he smirks.

"So, um," I begin, trying to change the subject as I quickly cram my workbook and coffee cup back into my locker, "do you want to come to the library right now with me and some of my friends? We're going to do homework there... and stuff. We always hang there after school to work on homework together since sometimes we need each others help and all – like tonight's Chemistry homework... oh my God, I really don't get it. I mean, what, with all – "

"You're rambling," he interrupts dryly and I blush feverishly at that.

"Ah, um, you're right," I say and I chuckle sheepishly. "I tend to do that a lot. After all, I _do _like to talk."

"Hn," he says again.

A moment of pause passes by before I ask, "So, uh, _do _you want to stay at the library with us?"

Before he can respond though, a shout calls out, "_Sasuke!_" And we both turn to see Suigetsu running up to him as he throws an arm around the raven-haired boy's shoulder and grins widely, a grin just as wide as Naruto's but slightly different in his own way.

His eyes flicker over to me and his grin widens (if that's even possible) in a devious way as he says, "_Ooooh, _sorry, did I interrupt something?" He turns to Sasuke and smirks. "Karin is _not _going to like this."

My ears perk up at this as I try to hide my blush from Suigetsu's former comment. _Karin?_

"Hn," Sasuke says as he pushes Suigetsu off him.

"Anyways, sorry for ruining your lil chat here," Suigetsu says, smiling at me, "but I have to steal pretty boy over here 'cause we have some hoops to shoot."

I turn to Sasuke and he says, "I'm on the basketball team... and there's a game tonight. We have to go get ready so I guess I can't come, sorry."

"Oh, that's alright!" I say, a little too over enthusiastically as I force a smile. "Actually, I'll try to make it to the game. It's at seven, right?"

Suigetsu nods. "And there's free pizza, so all the more reason to come!"

I smile at him as he throws an arm around Sasuke's shoulders once more and says that they need to go before Coach Gai makes them run fifty laps for being late and so I wave (_**fifty **__laps?!_) and watch them leave as I pull my own backpack on and head towards the library.

"_Ooooh, sorry, did I interrupt something? Karin is not going to like this." _

I frown at the thought as I wonder why he said that. I do know for a fact that Sasuke hangs out with Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo a lot. They're all from the Sound village so they might have known each other long before, but the chances are kind of slim. I don't know much about them since I never really talk to them but I do know that Karin and Suigetsu are both loud and I often see them bicker. Juugo, on the other hand, is sweet and quiet and keeps to himself, kind of like Sasuke.

I wonder if Karin _likes _Sasuke and I think, _there's a high possibility for that. _After all, Sasuke has a face straight out of a magazine. Girls flock to him like he's a celebrity. And in our school, he _is. _He's even well-known by the _seniors. _I also think that there's also a high possibility that Sasuke and Karin are _dating, _but I'm not too sure since Sasuke doesn't seem like the dating type.

I shrug off the thought. _So __**what **__if Karin likes Sasuke? And so __**what **__if they're going out? It's not like it matters. It's not like I really __**do **__have a chance with Sasuke. _

I push the doors into the library and look around for my friends before hearing, "It's about time!"

I smile as I turn and walk over to my friends; Sakura, looking curious as to what took me so long, Naruto, looking highly irritated at my tardiness, and Shikamaru just staring at me with bored eyes that says, 'kill me now.'

"What _took _you so long?" Naruto grumbles. "We're already halfway through our Chem homework."

"Aw _guys._" I sigh. "I thought I _told _you, Naruto, that I wanted help with my Chemistry homework. Couldn't you have started on something else while you waited for me?" I sigh again as I pull off my backpack and take out my Chemistry textbook, a notebook and a pencil.

"You didn't answer his question," Sakura muses with a quirk of an eyebrow.

I grin widely and sheepishly. "Sorry, what was the question again?"

Naruto rolls his eyes. "What _took _you so long?"

"Oh," I say and I look down and pretend to be highly interested in the maroon carpeted floor of the library, "you know... I was just talking to Sasuke." I say it like it's no big deal talking to the school's heartthrob.

I slowly meet Sakura's gaze and she looks mildly confused. "You know, everyone's like, 'Sasuke this' and 'Sasuke that.' But I've never really _seen _him. He's not in any of my classes. What's he like?"

"Tch, he's an arrogant bastard," Naruto says as he holds his head up high with dignity.

"Nn, have to agree with Naruto here," Shikamaru mumbles. "He's a troublesome guy.. smart, but troublesome."

Sakura quirks an eyebrow and then turns to me.

"Oh... well..." I say and I don't really know what to say as I feel all of their eyes on me, awaiting _my _response, "he's... he's a nice guy. I guess."

"You _guess?_" she says. "All of your descriptions were pretty vague and Ino's was kind of different from the rest of yours. I mean, 'nice' and 'arrogant bastard' doesn't really go together."

I exchange looks with Naruto and we both turn back to her.

"Well... he's really quiet and..." I say, "_blunt._"

_Not to mention mega hot, _I think but I don't say it out loud.

"Eh. He doesn't seem worth meeting," Sakura says as she shrugs and the subject of Sasuke is pushed away just like that as we get back on topic of Chemistry but the only chemistry on my mind is the kind of chemistry I felt between Sasuke and me when we had our first conversation today. And it was _great _chemistry.


End file.
